01.12.2023 | Football
Former Texas All-American
kicker Phil Dawson honored with the award that recognizes distinguished
individuals on the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of their collegiate
careers.
SAN ANTONIO – Former Texas All-American
kicker Phil Dawson has honored with the 2023 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award at
the NCAA Honor's Celebration on Wednesday night.
The Silver Anniversary Award annually recognizes distinguished
individuals on the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of their college
athletics careers. Representatives of NCAA member schools and conferences,
along with a panel of former student-athletes, select each year's recipients.
Six former college athletes received the award during the NCAA Convention.
A member of the Texas
Athletics Hall of Honor Class of 2012, Dawson was a four-year starter at Texas
from 1994-97. He was a two-time All-American, who earned first-team honors as a
junior in 1996, and honorable mention as a sophomore in 1995, while also twice
being named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award as the nation's best kicker.
A 1997 team captain, Dawson garnered
all-conference recognition all four years at Texas, including first-team honors
in the Big 12 in 1996, and in the Southwest Conference in 1994. In that span,
he helped lead the Longhorns to three conference titles, including the
first-ever Big 12 Championship in 1996 and the final SWC Championship in 1995.
Dawson finished his
collegiate career with 13 UT records, including all-time marks for
scoring (339), field goals (59) and field goal accuracy (74.7%). His scoring
total ranked 16th on the NCAA all-time list and 12th among kickers. He set UT
records by hitting 15-straight field goals (1996-97) and 54-straight extra
points (1994-95), while also establishing a UT record by making six-straight
field goals from 50 or more yards from 1995-97.
A 1998 graduate of UT with a degree in political science, Dawson was a first-team Academic
All-Big 12 selection in 1997.
After his career at Texas, his determination and resiliency were
tested as he pursued an NFL career. He signed as undrafted free agent with the
Oakland Raiders following the 1998 NFL draft, was waived, and then picked up by
the New England Patriots and placed on the practice squad. He eventually signed as free
agent with the Cleveland Browns in 1999, going on to spend more than two
decades in the NFL and become one of the most consistent kickers in league
history. He spent 14 seasons in Cleveland and four more with the San
Francisco 49ers before finishing his career with the Arizona Cardinals for two
seasons.
During his 21-year NFL
career that included 20 as a starting placekicker, Dawson was a perennial team
captain until his retirement in 2019. He played in 305 career NFL
games (currently eighth-most in league history) and ranks eighth in field goals
made (441) and 12th in points scored (1,847). He is among the NFL's top all-time field goal percentage
kickers despite spending most of his time in challenging weather conditions in
Cleveland, connecting on 441-of-526 attempts (83.8%), with a long of 57 yards.
Dawson broke legendary
NFL kicker Lou Groza's all-time Browns made field goal record with 305 during
his time in Cleveland and ranks second only to Groza on the team all-time
scoring list with 1,271 points. He still owns Browns' records for most
consecutive field goals made (27) and most field goals in a game (six).
Throughout his time with
the Browns, he was a not only a star, but a prominent face and representative
of the franchise. He was voted the 2012 Browns Player of the Year by the local
Professional Football Writers Association (PFWA) chapter and
concluded his overall career by signing a one-day contract for a celebratory
retirement with Cleveland in 2019.
Among the many accolades
of his career, Dawson earned second-team All-Pro honors twice (2007 and 2012)
and a spot on the Pro Bowl roster in 2012. He earned AFC or NFC Player of the
Week honors eight times and was tabbed the 49ers Bill Walsh Award winner as the team
MVP after making 24-of-27 field-goal attempts in 2016.
Following his playing days, Dawson has gone on to a successful
career in coaching. He first became the special teams coordinator at Lipscomb
Academy in Nashville in 2020-21, and is now in his first year as head coach and
assistant athletics director at Hyde Park Schools in Austin where he began in
January 2022.
At all of his stops along the way, Dawson has maintained deep
ties to civic and community involvement. At Texas, he was active in the
community and as a member of the UT and national collegiate Fellowship of
Christian Athletes (FCA) program, regularly sharing his story and message with
local and regional church groups and organizations.
Dawson has been active in every NFL community he's played in,
but particularly Cleveland where he founded the "Dawson's 4 Adoption"
season ticket program which provided tickets, apparel and food for the Adoption
Network Cleveland organization. He was tabbed the 2006 Ed Block Courage Award
winner by his teammates (Cleveland Touchdown Club) and the 2006 winner of the
Doug Dieken Humanitarian Award for his charitable and community efforts,
recognized by the Cleveland Touchdown Club. The following year, he was voted
the 2007 Dino Lucarelli "Good Guy" Award honoree by the local
Cleveland PFWA.
His wife, Shannon, is an
accomplished singer who has sung the National Anthem prior to Browns' home
games, toured with Wayne Newton from 1992-94 and sang at George W. Bush's
Inauguration after he was elected Governor of Texas in 1994. They
have two sons, Dru and Beau, and a daughter, Sophiann.